About Those Retired Numbers at Camden Yards...

The theft of Cal Ripken's #8 monument from the outside of Camden Yards gives me the opportunity to comment on these monuments in a larger sense.

Below are some pictures I took of the monuments during a couple visits to the Yard this season:







The retired numbers monuments are a nice gesture but they fall short. They are aluminum. They are hollow. They seem cheap. Earl Weaver's #4 was damaged so they are not exactly durable. And to top it off, they turned out to be mobile.

The Orioles should do this: leave the number monuments but start to add proper statues of the Oriole immortals around the park.

A statue of Brooks ranging wide of third to make the play. Frank Robinson unleashing a mammoth home run swing. Cal tipping his hat to the Oriole faithful. Earl Weaver, cap turned backwards, arguing with the ump. (OK, maybe not that last one...)

The only proper statue at the park is of Babe Ruth! I know he's a Baltimore native...but he's an icon of a division rival! We can do better.

You don't have to do it all at once. Commission the Cal statue this year. In a couple of years, unveil Earl Weaver. And so on. It can and should be done.

I'm going to post some pictures of the statues outside of Turner Field. They are a start. The Oriole immortals deserve better.